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richardd2641
Participant
January 3, 2020
Question

How to sync existing folders to the cloud with edits

  • January 3, 2020
  • 4 replies
  • 471 views

New to Lightroom Classic, having used previous version for some years. I have +50 folders of files I would like to sync to the cloud storage that came with my subscription. I'd like to include edits made in LR. Is there a way to do this without creating all new folders?  I've searched around without success. Thanks.

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4 replies

J
Community Expert
Jao vdLCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 4, 2020

ManiacJoe's answer is extremely important. Whether you use Lightroom Classic or Lightroom Cloudy to sync, it is NOT a backup plan. To backup, use external disks or cloud backup services. Lightroom Cloud sevices DO NOT work as a backup. 

R
richardd2641Author
Participant
January 5, 2020

Thanks to all who responded to me. Seems I was misled by Adobe's marketing that, along with LR Classic, I was buying 1 TB storage in the cloud.

I will now investigate a cloud backup service such as Backblaze.  Thanks again.

J
Community Expert
Jao vdLCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 5, 2020

You can use Adobe's cloud thing as backup. It works the same as dropbox. It is just a file syncing service that syncs a folder on your hard disk. You enable it through the preferences in the creative cloud app (the sync tab in there). This is not the same thing as the Lightroom syncing which happens to an invisible part of the adobe cloud storage. It is also not as convenient as an automatic cloud backup.

 

The confusion is likely coming from Adobe's marketing messages around their completely different (from Lightroom Classic) app called "Lightroom". This app, which is really a port of the mobile operating system Lightroom app to the Desktop, including its severe limitations, syncs the full raw files to the cloud including edits. It is great that you now will see the same image accross all platforms and the raws are automatically stored in the cloud but you miss all the essential features of Classic. Lightroom Classic can sync to the same cloud but it will only upload smart previews. Those will be visible on all the platforms the cloud Lightroom runs on but will not be full raws. An alternative is to import all the raws using the cloud based Lightroom. Those raws will now download into Classic automatically and you will indeed then have a full backup of the raws in the cloud and will be able to edit in Classic and have your edits sync to the cloud. This is not an option Adobe wants you to know about (they officially discourage people from using Classic in conjunction with cloud-based Lightroom) but it does work just fine. You can also import into Classic. Add the files to a synced collection, and then import the same files in cloud based Lightroom. They will automatically get connected to each other, giving you the same result as just importing in cloud-based and downloading them into Classic.

 

So it is possible to use this as a kind of backup but you have to jump through some hoops.

    ManiacJoe
    ManiacJoe
    Inspiring
    January 4, 2020

    Just to clarify a point....

    Syncing your photos to the Adobe cloud is NOT a backup plan. It is for sharing your work with other devices and other people where these devices and people do not need your original files.

      JP Hess
      JP Hess
      Inspiring
      January 3, 2020
      If you want to continue using Lightroom Classic then creating collections is how you synchronize with the cloud. If you think you want all your images in the cloud, and want that version of Lightroom to become your primary version, then you migrate your catalog and stop using Lightroom Classic. But if you choose to do that, make sure it is what you want to do.
       
      Syncing does NOT make a copy of the entire photo. It creates a smart preview which is a smaller version of the image. You should not consider the cloud as a backup of your images. No matter which version of Lightroom you choose, you should always have your own separate backup system for your images.
       
      The way you enable synchronization in Lightroom is you click in the nameplate area and there is an option to enable synchronization. Then, by each regular collection that you have created you will see to the left of it a little icon that you must click to cause that collection to be synchronized to the cloud.
      JP Hess
      JP Hess
      Inspiring
      January 3, 2020

      Syncing images from Lightroom Classic is not done by the folder. Collections need to be created, and those collections can be created for each folder. Then the collections are what are synchronized with the cloud. Lightroom Classic does not synchronize full-sized images, but rather smart previews. These are still large enough for most purposes, and can still be edited. If you choose to edit those images on another device those edits will be applied to the master images in Lightroom Classic and vice versa.

      R
      richardd2641Author
      Participant
      January 3, 2020
      Thanks. So (1) I need to create a collection for each existing folder?
      (2) how do I then sync them to the cloud?
      (3) does the syncing create a copy of the whole photo
      file in the cloud that functions as a backup? In other words, if my
      computer and hard drive crashed, would I be able to recover the images from
      the Adobe Cloud?

      --
      Richard
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